North Lanarkshire Council, in collaboration with South Lanarkshire are looking for suitably qualified contractors for the Provision of support and assistance to local businesses in both these local authority areas. This service will include business advice to individuals considering starting their own business, new business start ups and support to help existing businesses with growth potential. The framework is split into 11 lots as follows:
Lot 1. Business Start Up Service
Lot 2. Existing Business Support (growth and sustainability)
Lots 3 to 11 (inclusive) cover our Specialist Advisory Services / Expert Help focusing on growth and sustainability and delivered via workshop and advice sessions, across North and South Lanarkshire.
Lot 3. Marketing
Lot 4. Digital Media
Lot 5. ICT
Lot 6. Finance
Lot 7. HR issues
Lot 8. Procurement
Lot 9. Leadership and Organisational Development
Lot 10. Innovation / R&D
Lot 11. Other (Sector Specific — Tourism, Food and Drink, Social Enterprise etc)
The Council have previously published a Prior Information Notice relating to this requirement in which it invited interested parties to a Supplier Engagement Event which was held on 14.4.2016. Copies of all the relevant documents pertaining to that event are available on this notice for the information of all interested parties.

III.1.3)Legal form to be taken by the group of economic operators to whom the contract is to be awarded:

Where a consortium or other grouping of suppliers submits a bid, such consortia or grouping must nominate a lead organisation to deal with the council on all matters relating to the contract. All consortium members or grouping will be required to be jointly and severally liable in respect to the obligations and liabilities relating to the contract.

III.1.4)Other particular conditions

The performance of the contract is subject to particular conditions: yes
Description of particular conditions: The successful contractor and its supply chain will be required to actively participate in the achievement of social, environmental and/or sustainability policy objectives relating to local regeneration, social and economic growth, recruitment, employment and training and supply chain initiatives. Accordingly contract performance conditions and evaluation criteria may relate in particular to social and environmental considerations. Details will be set out in the Invitation To Tender.

III.2)Conditions for participation

III.2.1)Personal situation of economic operators, including requirements relating to enrolment on professional or trade registers

Information and formalities necessary for evaluating if the requirements are met: (1) All candidates will be required to produce a certificate or declaration demonstrating that they are not bankrupt or the subject of an administration order, are not being wound-up, have not granted a trust deed, are not the subject of a petition presented for sequestration of their estate, have not had a receiver, manager or administrator appointed and are not otherwise apparently insolvent.
(2) All candidates will be required to produce a certificate or declaration demonstrating that the candidate, their directors, or any other person who has powers of representation, decision or control of the candidate has not been convicted of conspiracy, corruption, bribery, or money laundering. Failure to provide such a declaration will result in the candidate being declared ineligible and they will not be selected to participate in this procurement process.
(3) All candidates will be required to produce a certificate or declaration demonstrating that they have not been convicted of a criminal offence relating to the conduct of their business or profession.
(4) All candidates will be required to produce a certificate or declaration demonstrating that they have not committed an act of grave misconduct in the course of their business or profession.
(5) All candidates must comply with the requirements of the State in which they are established, regarding registration on the professional or trade register.
(6) Any candidate found to be guilty of serious misrepresentation in providing any information required, may be declared ineligible and not selected to continue with this procurement process.
(7) All candidates will have to demonstrate that they are licensed, or a member of the relevant organisation, in the State where they are established, when the law of that State prohibits the provision of the services, described in this notice, by a person who is not so licensed or who is not a member of the relevant organisation.
(8) All candidates will be required to produce a certificate or declaration demonstrating that they have fulfilled obligations relating to the payment of social security contributions under the law of any part of the United Kingdom or of the relevant State in which the candidate is established
(9) All candidates will be required to produce a certificate or declaration demonstrating that they have fulfilled obligations relating to the payment of taxes under the law of any part of the United Kingdom or of the relevant State in which the economic operator is established.

III.2.2)Economic and financial ability

Information and formalities necessary for evaluating if the requirements are met: (1) All candidates will be required to provide a reference from their bank.
(2) All candidates will be required to provide evidence of relevant professional risk indemnity insurance.
(3) All candidates will be required to provide a statement, covering the 3 previous financial years including the overall turnover of the candidate and the turnover in respect of the activities which are of a similar type to the subject matter of this notice.
(4) All candidates will be required to provide statements of accounts or extracts from those accounts relating to their business.

III.2.3)Technical capacity

Information and formalities necessary for evaluating if the requirements are met:
(1) A statement of the candidate’s average annual number of staff and managerial staff over the previous 3 years
(2) Details of the educational and professional qualifications of their managerial staff; and those of the person(s) who would be responsible for providing the services or carrying out the work or works under the contract;
(3) All candidates will be required to provide certification from an independent body attesting conformity to environmental management standards in accordance with the Community Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS); or the European standard BS EN ISO 14001.
(4) All candidates will be required to provide certification drawn up by an independent body attesting the compliance of the economic operator with quality assurance standards based on the relevant European standards.
(5) Certificates drawn up by official quality control institutes or agencies of recognised competence attesting the conformity of products clearly identified by references to specifications or standards.
(6) Samples, descriptions and/or photographs, the authenticity of which must be certified if the contracting authority so requests.
(7) A statement of the principal goods sold or services provided by the supplier or the services provider in the past 3 years, detailing the dates on which the goods were sold or the services provided; the consideration received; the identity of the person to whom the goods were sold or the services were provided
(8) A check may be carried out by the contracting authority or by a competent official body of the State in which the candidate is established, to verify the technical capacity of the candidate; and if relevant, on the candidates study and research facilities and quality control measures;
(9) A statement of the candidate’s technical facilities; measures for ensuring quality; and their study and research facilities;
(10) An indication of the proportion of the contract which the services provider intends possibly to subcontract.
(11) A statement of the technicians or technical services available to the candidate to carry out the work under the contract; or be involved in the production of goods or the provision of services under the contract; particularly those responsible for quality control, whether or not they are independent of the candidate.
(12) A statement of the tools, plant or technical equipment available to the service provider or contractor for carrying out the contract.
(13) A list of works carried out over the past 5 years, detailing the value of the consideration received; when and where the work or works were carried out; and whether they were carried out according to the rules of the trade or profession and properly completed.

III.2.4)Information about reserved contracts

III.3)Conditions specific to services contracts

III.3.1)Information about a particular profession

III.3.2)Staff responsible for the execution of the service

Section IV: Procedure

IV.1)Type of procedure

IV.1.1)Type of procedure

Restricted

IV.1.2)Limitations on the number of operators who will be invited to tender or to participate

Envisaged number of operators: 88
Objective criteria for choosing the limited number of candidates: It is the Councils intention to invite to tender eight (8) suitably qualified and experienced candidates per lot. Please refer to the PQQ document for further details.

IV.1.3)Reduction of the number of operators during the negotiation or dialogue

IV.2)Award criteria

IV.2.1)Award criteria

The most economically advantageous tender in terms of the criteria stated in the specifications, in the invitation to tender or to negotiate or in the descriptive document

IV.3.3)Conditions for obtaining specifications and additional documents or descriptive document

IV.3.4)Time limit for receipt of tenders or requests to participate

17.5.2016 – 12:00

IV.3.5)Date of dispatch of invitations to tender or to participate to selected candidates

31.5.2016

IV.3.6)Language(s) in which tenders or requests to participate may be drawn up

English.

IV.3.7)Minimum time frame during which the tenderer must maintain the tender

IV.3.8)Conditions for opening of tenders

Section VI: Complementary information

VI.1)Information about recurrence

VI.2)Information about European Union funds

The contract is related to a project and/or programme financed by European Union funds: yes
Reference to project(s) and/or programme(s): The Council may receive additional funding from the European Regional Development Fund which has been included in the range of the full contract value detailed in this publication.

VI.3)Additional information

It is anticipated that the Contract may require the transfer of staff under the provisions of The Transfer of Undertakings
(Protection of Employment) Regulations (TUPE).
(SC Ref:440021).

VI.4)Procedures for appeal

VI.4.1)Body responsible for appeal procedures

VI.4.2)Lodging of appeals

VI.4.3)Service from which information about the lodging of appeals may be obtained